The Crafty Gardener

Art makes a Chadds Ford garden bloom with the totally unexpected.

by Maria Hess

(page 4 of 4)

Buy pieces that can stand the elements. “Ask the artist if the piece is fired at a mature temperature so that it’s dense,” says Wenz. If it’s not, moisture gets trapped, “and then you have freeze and thaw.” Pick up a piece of clay and tap it. If the piece rings, it’s dense. If it thuds, it’s porous ceramic. Porous will be a problem outdoors.

Art is subjective. Design your way. “It’s about passion and energy,” says Wenz. “The artist transfers that from himself to what he’s made. I believe that energy continues where the piece is placed.”

Art should never be confined to the inside of a home, nor should it ever be predictable, says Hess. “You don’t expect shrubs to die, but they do. You don’t expect deer to eat your geraniums, but they do that, too. Art is the same thing. Go for the unexpected, and don’t be afraid to move pieces around.”

It’s a nice thing to look out your window and see sculpture among the blooms. “When art is added to the landscape,” says Hess, “it makes you appreciate that Mother Nature and man are working hand in hand.”

GET THE LOOK

Buy pieces that can stand the elements. Ask the artist if a work is fired at a mature temperature so that it’s dense. Or pick up a piece of clay and tap it. If the piece rings, it’s dense. If it thuds, it’s porous, so it shouldn’t stay outdoors.

Choose perennials wisely. Learn what foliage looks like before and after the bloom. Surround art with a healthy mix of indigenous evergreen shrubs and trees.

Go for the unexpected. Don’t be afraid to move pieces around until they work for you.

Start small, perhaps with a birdbath. They come in all shapes and sizes at local yard and garden centers.